Time sharing

Time flies and its actually hard to get back into the mindset with which it all started: we are a result of our daily experiences…and has there been experiences!

People have been (still are) constantly providing ideas, texts and feedback.

Every single post is proof read by plenty of people (thanks to all of you who drop me a mail/text when you find out some mistake…you are loved for being so “strict”).

I’ve never been that interested about social media, so imagine my surprise when I found out I’ve been awarded something by somebody!

And its not just anybody…its a blog (and the person behind it obviously) which actually has thousands and thousands of hits! (Note: he’s trying to get to the 100.000 visit mark…please do check him out).

This is an award for everyone who is part of the “Word Press Family” I start this award on the basis that the Word Press family has taken me in, and showed me love and a caring side only Word Press can. The way people take a second to be nice, to answer a question and not make things a competition amazes me here. I know I have been given many awards, but I wanted to leave my own legacy on here by creating my own award, as many have done before. This represents “Family” we never meet, but are there for us as family. It is my honour to start this award. Thank you, Shaun

Have you ever had the feeling that your day to day has become a routine?

Have you wished for new opportunities, situations and experiences?

Here is the good news: its in your hands!

Some time ago, I was exactly in that situation. There was absolutely no way to get into changes with everyday tasks simply sucking the time.

Until I decided that had to change.

So I set an appointment with myself during one hour (more on time management in another post), sat at a terrace sipping a coffe and outlined what I needed:

– New experiences: the only way to know about things is to dip your toe (or maybe jump into it!)

– Free or very low cost activities: it was not possible to devote much money to the initiative

– With people: wanted to make it a social project. Hint: this came after thinking “I don’t get so see my friends as often as I would like”…does that ring a bell?

So with this 3 simple and driven ideas, I tunned my radar for opportunities.

And not many days after, I started finding associations, websites, newsletters for my city, quarter and area.

You would be AMAZED about how many people start projects to help people out.

Great, now we have the what and the price (most for free).

Now I needed to engage people…how do I that?

By surprising them.

E-mail, whatsapp, phone, text messages…we live in the era of communication!

So I started contacting people that I knew and wanted to catch up with them, things like:

“Hey, haven’t heard from you in a long time! Are you free this [insert the day the activity happens]. If you are, lets meet at [easy location] at [convenient time]”.

You know what happened?

100% of the time answered saying “But to do what?”

See? The first concern was not availability…but the contents.

“Its a surprise. If you’re free, I’d love you’d follow along”.

And in most cases, people would agree.

Where did I take them?

Well, I took into account what I knew of these people:

– A friend is very much into the social arts, so I took her to a Modern Art Museum. I know NOTHING about modern art. And it happens she knows quite a bit… So I got to not only spend quality time with a friend but also learned a lot about art and how to look at things.

– Another, I took to Barcelona’s Picasso Museum. Neither of us are much into this kind of painting, but it so happened neither had ever been there and we found a really nice coffe place near by and probably enjoyed more the coffee than the actual visit.

What learning do you think I got from this experience?

Don’t sit back and wait for life to happen: take a step forward and do things

So next time you feel like you don’t like a situation:

make an appointment with yourself

figure the couple essential things you want

Start NOW. No day like today!

Lets us know how your projects go by leaving a comment or tweeting @growthhunter

If you live in a city which the tourists visit regularly you will probably relate to this situation: individuals or small groups staring into their folded maps, checking the bus stops or trying to decifer the Underground charts.

Most of us don’t pay much attention to them, since we’re rushing somewhere or think they will figure their way around or…its simply not our business.

Wrong.

It is.

Not only does it improve the tourist’s experience of our city (which means they will probably suggest their friends to come over and visit…hence starting a virtuous circle) but most importantly…

When you’re helping people, you’re opening up yourself for opportunities, usually unforseen.

Let me share an experience.

Some years ago I was taking a train within Barcelona from work to my Supply Chain Management Master’s Degree. June, nice weather, finally Friday and simply staring through the window.

A couple of seats away, this young guy was studying his map…and from the look of his face he wasn’t happy.

Knowing the final station was approaching and commute from there is pretty bad, I walked up to him as asked if I could help. At first he refused politely but when he saw my big smile and that the offer was honest…he confessed: he knew how to get to the place but had plenty of time and wanted to enjoy a walk.

To keep it short, I offered he walked with me a bit and from where I left him he would have a straight easy path along one of the best beaches in Barcelona:

Along the 20 minute walk we shared about job market in Europe (him being German) and common situations our generations face. I left him with my phone number in case he needed something and didn’t think back: it had been a very pleasant time and simply enjoyed it.

To my surprise, the next day I got a text message thanking me for the tour and directions…and an invitation to a football match that evening!

Myself I’m not a great football fun, but my partner at the moment is…so I asked if both of us could go. It turned out we could and had a blast both at the game and in the dinner after, where I got to meet more German people friends of his.

Think about it: is there something in the story that you think is really odd? Something bizarre or uncommon?

Or do you see yourself nodding, feeling its just common sense and going with the natural flow of sharing and helping?

How many opportunities can you actually spot? Can you actually name who benefitted from the whole situation or is it just common growth for everybody?

Share your thoughts in the comments below, tweet them and follow the blog if youre interested in more Growth!